Liam Payne's Complete Relationship History

Before Liam Payne's tragic death in October 2024, he was almost as famous for his private life as his music. The singer was involved in a string of high-profile relationships after finding fame as one-fifth of One Direction, including being romantically linked to the likes of Naomi Campbell and Cheryl Cole. 

Payne would often speak openly about his romances, including sharing his hopes to get married. The star told Attitude in 2015 that he and his then-girlfriend Sophia Smith had spoken about tying the knot. He later referred to Cole, the mother of his son, Bear, as his wife multiple times, despite the two never publicly confirming they were even engaged.

But Payne was also aware of his shortcomings in love. In June 2021, he explained during an interview with "The Diary of a CEO" that "I've just been not been very good at relationships and I know what my pattern of things is with relationships. I feel at this point I'm just not very good at them. So I just need to work on myself before I put myself onto somebody else." Sadly though, the star didn't get the time he deserved to find The One and walk down the aisle, though he did enjoy a series of years-long romances.

During Liam Payne's early days in One Direction, the hitmaker dated Danielle Peazer. The duo met on "The X Factor," the British singing show where the band was formed, in 2010 and dated for two years. Payne and Peazer's relationship became a hot topic amongst the boyband's fans, so much so that he had to defend his girlfriend from a barrage of online hate. "#SometimesIHateTwitter when it becomes a place to abuse people who [you've] never met never did anything to you but you still choose to be cruel," Payne wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in June 2012. "But to all those people who are nice thank you so much she often reads me nice things people say to her and it makes me smile love you guys," he added.

However, the former couple broke up in September 2012 when a source told Mirror they struggled with Payne's increasingly busy schedule. "He has hardly been able to see Danielle in recent months and the band have a world tour next year so it was only going to get harder," they explained. Payne and Peazer appeared to stay on good terms though, with Peazer telling Mirror in 2016, "We're both over it; we've both moved on; we're not going to sit here and slag each other off but it is what it is."

In 2013, Liam Payne moved on from Danielle Peazer with school friend Sophia Smith. Payne told Attitude during a 2015 cover story interview that he saw himself with Peazer for the long haul, sharing they'd discussed walking down the aisle — just not at that time. "22 seems a bit young for us. And Sophia needs to go off and do what she wants to do. I won't stop her from doing that," he explained, referring to Smith's hopes for a career in fashion. "I don't want her to be one of those stay-at-home girlfriends who doesn't really do much," he added.

But, sadly, their relationship wasn't built to last and they split in October 2015. Payne confirmed the news to The Sun. "I'm absolutely devastated to have split with Sophia," he said. "Being on the tour all this year and being away from her was so hard. We spent so much time apart." He added, "But in order to do right by somebody sometimes it's better not to do what your heart wants, but to do what's better for them." A source told Hollywood Life Smith decided to end things and claimed she thought they were too young to settle down. "Sophia has always been an independent woman and believes she has a lot to achieve," they said.

Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole got people talking when romance rumors swirled in 2016. Not only did their 10-year age gap raise eyebrows, but Cole was a judge on "The X Factor" when Payne, who was a teenager at the time, was on the show. The two mainly kept their romance under wraps but made it clear how serious they were in March 2017 when they announced the birth of their son, Bear. Payne wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post (via Billboard), "I'm incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world ... I'm completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she's really made my dreams come true." The two were repeatedly forced to fend off rumors they'd secretly wed, with Payne shutting down the speculation in September 2017. He told The Sun they were more likely to have a second child than walk down the aisle, but said he was too busy with work to consider baby number two. "I welcome the idea completely. But, when, I don't really know," he said.

Just 16 months after Bear's birth though, Payne and Cole ended their romance. The "Polaroid" singer confirmed his split with the Girls Aloud singer on X, writing in part, "Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family." The two continued to co-parent Bear, and Payne confirmed on "This Morning" in December 2019 that he planned to spend time with his son, and potentially his ex, over the holidays. "I want to see if [Bear] actually gets [the idea of] unwrapping presents this year," he joked.

As well as his more serious relationships, Liam Payne seemingly enjoyed a flirty fling with Naomi Campbell. In January 2019, the two had fans questioning if they were dating after Payne commented on a stunning Instagram selfie (via Cosmopolitan), "Perfection in a person. Don't give me those eyes." Campbell then returned the favor on one of Payne's pics, writing, "Beautiful Soul" with a red heart. He responded, "Takes one to know one" with a kissing face. Both photos have since been deleted.

Things appeared to heat up further later that month when they were seen together in London, but Campbell played coy when asked about the former boy-bander in March 2019. Though she gave a sly smile, she responded when asked point blank if she was dating Payne on "The Jonathan Ross Show," "I never discuss my personal life." But whatever their relationship was, it seemed to be all over by May 2019. That was when Payne was seen in Berlin with model Stella Maxwell, who he appeared alongside in a campaign for Hugo Boss.

Liam Payne went Instagram official with Maya Henry in September 2019 when he shared a photo, which has since been deleted, of himself and his new love. "Sometimes I don't recognise this happy guy ... sure glad you brought him back though," he captioned it (via Us Weekly). Things got serious pretty quickly for the then-happy couple and, around August 2020, Payne popped the question to Henry. He told "Good Morning America" the following month, "We're just really happy."

Payne and Henry had ended their engagement by June 2021 though, the same month he opened up about their breakup on "The Diary of a CEO". "I'm more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people," he said. Payne continued, "I just wasn't giving a very good version of me anymore that I didn't appreciate and I didn't like being. And I can honestly say that I feel better out of it. I didn't feel good for doing what I did but it had to happen." The two briefly reconciled amid the COVID-19 outbreak but broke up again in April 2022, around the time Payne got close to Aliana Mawla in a photo that surfaced online. 

After that, Henry made some serious allegations against her former fiancé. Just two days before Payne's untimely death, her lawyer told the Daily Mail that "Maya Henry issued a cease and desist last week to Liam Payne following the emergence of new and concerning information." That came after Henry alleged in a TikTok earlier that week that Payne wouldn't stop trying to contact her. "Ever since we broke up he messages me, will blow up my phone, not only from his phone, it's always from different phone numbers too," she said.

When Liam Payne died, he was dating Kate Cassidy. The two were first rumored to be a couple after attending a London Halloween party in October 2022 dressed as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. They made things red carpet official one month later at the British Fashion Awards and a source told The Sun at the time, "They are mad about each other." 

That December, Payne defended Cassidy after a fan accused her of only being interested in Payne's money. "Gotta say, you could tell me anything and I couldn't be turned, I've never felt a love like I do for Katelyn. We make each other better people," he hit back on his Instagram Story (via Metro). But things weren't all smooth sailing. Payne and Cassidy broke up in May 2023 after The Sun reported they were living together in London. "Liam knows it's the right decision," a source told the outlet of the split, claiming Cassidy had moved out. But they seemed back on the following month when they were seen holding hands. 

At the time of his death, Payne and Cassidy seemed very much together. The "Strip That Down" singer appeared in one of her August 2024 TikToks and Payne posted a photo of himself and Cassidy vacationing together on Snapchat two months later. His bittersweet snap was posted the same day as his death and showed them posing in their swimwear in front of a mirror in Argentina.